Cathy Engelbert to Step Down as WNBA Commissioner
The WNBA's first-ever commissioner will retire on 30 December after seven years marked by league expansion, revenue growth and clashes with players.
Cathy Engelbert will step down as WNBA commissioner on 30 December, ending a seven-year term in which she was the league's first person to hold the post. She announced the decision in a statement issued by the WNBA.
«After more than seven years at the WNBA and more than 40 total years in business, I have made the decision to retire as WNBA Commissioner,».
Engelbert took charge in 2019 and was tested almost at once by the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the league to build the "Wubble" at IMG Academy in Florida and play a shortened 22-game season in 2020. The regular season has since grown to 44 games and will reach 50 in 2027.
Under her, the WNBA expanded from 12 teams to a planned 18 by 2030. The Golden State Valkyries joined in 2025, and this year brought the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, with franchises from Cleveland and Detroit also set to follow. Television audiences, attendance, sponsorship revenue and merchandise sales all rose sharply during her tenure.
«In 2019, I had the privilege of being appointed the league's first commissioner and to lead a league with enormous potential yet untapped awareness and significant undervaluation. Over the years, it has been amazing to watch WNBA players thrive and lead the massive cultural surge around women's sports».
Engelbert's time in charge was not without friction with players and fans, and the reports note bruising controversies alongside the league's growth, though the details of those disputes are not set out.
Her departure, coming as the WNBA works through an expansion to 18 clubs and a bigger schedule, leaves the league's owners to find a successor at a moment when the commercial gains she oversaw will need to be carried forward.
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